Sunday 11/8/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NHL

Sunday, November 8

Hot teams
-- Dallas Stars won five of their last six games. Detroit won its last three, allowing five goals.
-- Devils won seven of their last nine games.

Cold teams
-- Vancouver lost seven of its last ten games.
-- Bruins lost their last three games, scoring six goals. Islanders lost four of their last five.
-- Edmonton lost five of its last seven games. Chicago lost four of its last five.

Series records
-- Red Wings won four of last five games with Dallas.
-- Canucks won six of last seven games with New Jersey.
-- Islanders lost four of last five games with Boston.
-- Oilers lost six of last seven games with Chicago.

Totals
-- Last four Dallas-Detroit games went over total; last one was 7-6.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Vancouver-New Jersey games.
-- Over is 10-2-1 in last thirteen Boston games.
-- Five of last six Edmonton-Chicago games went over.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

JOE GAVAZZI

New York Jets -7.5

Calling for a reversal of form from the previous game of these two teams. The Jags are an improved bunch, averaging 21 PPG after being mired in the 16 PPG area the previous four season. Two weeks ago, they pulled the upset over the Buffalo Bills in London. But it was not easy, as after leading 27-3 in the 2nd quarter, they had to come from behind for a (34-31) victory. Teams are just 3-9 ATS returning from London with a victory. And the bad news does not stop there for the Jags, who are recently 14-31 ATS in non-division games and 13-23 ATS as underdog. Their peripatetic QB Bortles will surely be rattled by the ferocious Jets’ defense, as Bortles has tossed 8 picks and been sacked 19 times. Yes, the above is a good reason why the Jags will get STEAMROLLED today. Expect no mercy from a New York Jets team who is leading the NFL in defense, allowing just 283 YPG and 4.6 YP play before traveling to Oakland last week. There, they got blitzed by the Raiders (34-20), being outrushed and out passed for a combined total of 450-366. Earlier in the week, it was thought that there would be issues with each of their QBs, as QB Fitzpatrick (thumb) and QB Smith (shoulder) were injured in that Raiders game. Each of them has been cleared to play. Vs this opponent, they should only have to hand off to RBs who average 30 totes per game for 128 RYPG. From there, a seething defense looking for redemption will handle the rest. It is reversals such as these that lead to huge STEAMROLLING victories.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Wunderdog

New York Giants -2.5

The Giants lost a crazy shootout last week to the New orleans Saints in a 52-49 loss. The good news out of this one is twofold for New York. Eli manning is comfortable once again and is shredding defenses. More importantly, he has overcome his bad habit of completing too many to the other team, and has just four INTs this season. The Giants got burned badly last week by Drew Brees, but we have witnessed him get into the zone, and the Giants aren't the first team to experience one of those Drew Brees moments. The other good news is that the Giants have picked off 13 passes and lead the league in turnover margin. Jameis Winston has improved the Tampa Bay offense, but with seven INTs and a few fumbles, he is not doing a great job of protecting the ball yet. The Buccaneers defense has been hit with 30+ points four times already this season, and don't have the offense to overcome that. The Bucs have struggled at home where they own a woeful 16-37-1 ATS mark in their last 54, and will come up short once again.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Bruce Marshall

Jaguars/Jets Over

Even with possible QB issues, anticipate a New York rally back at home after a pair of road losses shocked what had previously been a strong Jets' defense. At 2-5, J'ville is in the weak AFC South "race" by default. But progress for the Jaguars, while steady, has been slow. And the thrill of their London triumph over the Bills must be tempered by the knowledge that Jacksonville blew a 27-3 lead that had been gifted to the Jags before they were able to mount a last-minute rally. Still, the game is slowing a bit for Blake Bortles, and both sides trending "over" lately (each "over" last three).

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

HARRY BONDI

Eagles / Cowboys Over 43.5

Lots of value on the over tonight as this line is way too low. When these two teams met in Week 2 the over/under was 52. Granted that was with Tony Romo at QB for the Cowboys, but a near 10-point difference is not warranted. With QB Matt Cassel rounding into shape and Dez Bryant expected to return, the Dallas offense is in much better shape than it was two weeks ago and with the Eagles coming off a bye week we expect the offense to be rested, ready and primed for major improvement. Go over.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPORTS WAGERS

Saskatchewan +8

The CFL wraps up the regular season here and both these teams will be cleaning out their lockers tomorrow. The question now becomes which team figures to be more motivated? We’re suggesting the Riders will show up and give it their all while we’re not so sure about the Alouettes. Montreal will miss the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. The Als were 2-2 after four games and 5-6 after 11 games so the playoffs were well within their reach. However, the Als closed the season with one victory in their last six games and most of the losses were ugly. Montreal ran through seven QB’s this season. They had one distraction after another (Michael Sam, Chad Johnson among them). Almost half of the roster consists of players over 30 years old. Two exhibition games and 18 regular season games and every player on that squad know that a major overhaul is coming. In a last ditch effort to make the playoffs, Montreal signed Kevin Glenn. That didn’t work either. Now the Als are being asked to win by a significant margin in the finale. We simply don’t trust that they care and we don’t trust that they want to go out with a bang.

The Riders season blew up before September rolled around when they were 0-9 on August 30. They have been fighting it all year knowing that they were going to miss the playoffs. This game is no different than any of their last seven so it’s by no means unchartered territory. Riders QB, Keith Price will make the first start of his professional career here. That could provide the Riders with a spark or at least some young energy. During the 2011 collegiate season playing for the Washington Huskies, Price completed 219 of 325 passes for 2,625 yards and a school record 29 touchdowns. His 161.9 quarterback rating ranked 13th among all NCAA Division I FBS players, and his 29 touchdown passes ranked seventh. In the Alamo Bowl that season against the Baylor Bears, Price threw for over 400 yards, four touchdown passes and three touchdown runs. Price then began receiving a lot more attention as possibly a future Heisman trophy candidate. During the 2012 season Price completed 263 of 432 passes for 2,728 yards with 19 touchdowns.

That was a long time ago but it’s something and he showed enough that the Seahawks signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Price has gotten his feet wet in the CFL too so this is not his first game. He completed seven of nine pass attempts for 84 yards with one touchdown in a 35-24 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on Oct. 24. In a longer stint last week, he went 15-for-26 for 183 yards with a TD and an interception in a 42-19 loss to the Calgary Stampeders. The Riders are winless on the road and no team wants to end up 0-fer in nine road games. Saskatchewan has lost 15 games this season. A 16th loss would mean the worst record ever in the storied history of this franchise. No player wants to be associated with that. Furthermore, Montreal is also starting a rookie QB in Brandon Bridge. Should the Riders fail to compete against a rookie QB, it would make all those blows they’ve suffered even worse. We’re calling the upset but we are thrilled to be taking back these points.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

SPORTS WAGERS

Dallas -½ +150 over DETROIT

Regulation only. 3:00 PM EST. We are all aware of the Stars great start and it’s no fluke. This team is loaded with offensive talent and they’re playing with a ton of confidence too. Defensively, Dallas keeps improving. The addition of Johnny Oduya has been stabilizing back there while the emergence of John Klingberg has been a thing of beauty. The Dallas Stars are a force this season.

The Red Wings are 7-6 and have won three in a row. They are still a popular team in the market and even more so when they play at The Joe. Unless you have watched this team play a bunch of games, you’re probably not aware of how sloppy and beatable they have become. Despite winning three in a row over the Maple Leafs (in OT), Bolts and Senators, Detroit was outshot in all of them. In 13 games played, the Red Wings have not had more than 30 shots on net in any game thus far and rank dead last in that department with an average of 25.8 shots on net per game. That works out to a mere eight shots on net per period and doesn’t take into consideration OT games. The Red Wings rank 28th in shots on net per game, ahead of only Philadelphia and Ottawa. Analytically, Detroit is the weakest team in the NHL after 13 games and the fact that they’re over .500 is completely distorted. They have accomplished all that by playing the weakest schedule in the league thus far (ranked 30 out of 30 teams). Detroit has played one game this season in 13 against a top-10 team and lost, 4-1 to the Canadiens. After a heavy dose of Toronto, Ottawa and Carolina, Detroit will now play its second game against a monster and they are ill-prepped to do so.

Note: You can get the Stars at -110 with OT included at Pinnacle. You can get them at SIA in regulation (ties lose) at -½ +135. Pinnacle does not have their alternative half lines posted yet at the time of this writing so our suggestion would be to wait for them because Dallas will likely be around -½ +150. It’s your call. We’re playing the Stars -½ + whatever Pinnacle is offering so we’ll update this pick when that line is available.

Boston +150 over N.Y. ISLANDERS

OT included. The Bruins are taking back this much because it’s their third game in four days and tail-end of back-to-backs after playing in Montreal last night. This one also goes off a little earlier (5:00 PM EST) than usual so it’ll be Boston playing two games in less than 24 hours. Had Boston defeated the Habs, we may have stayed away from this one but they didn’t and now the B’s have lost three straight. The other two losses occurred against Washington and Dallas. Just to recap, Boston has lost three straight to Montreal, Washington and Dallas. Combined, that trio is 34-8. Boston played nose-to-nose against the opposition in all of them and even outshot Dallas 39-19. These are young guys in great physical shape. Too much weight gets put on the “tired” angle when it means very little. Coming off successive games against three juggernauts, the Bruins now take a step down in class when facing these beatable Islanders.

By contrast, the Islanders have played New Jersey (x2), Calgary, Carolina and Buffalo in five of their past six games. The Isles have one win in their last five games, a 2-1 victory over the Devils. Over those last five games, the Islanders have scored two goals or less in all of them. That’s eight goals combined over their last five games. Statistically, there isn’t a lot to like about the Islanders in this price range. Their strength of schedule ranks 22 out of 30 teams. They rank 15th in shots against per game and 18th in shots for. Their analytics numbers aren’t very good either, as the Isles rank 22nd in puck possession. Then there’s that issue about the Barclays Center again. It’s void of atmosphere. The building has no life whatsoever and it matters, as there is nothing for the home side to feed off of. In the end, we’re absolutely going to attempt to take advantage of the market putting way too much emphasis on the B’s being tired. We trust that they’re more hungry than tired.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Strike Point Sports

New York Giants -2.5

The Giants suffered another heartbreaking loss last weekend but will bounce back in a big way to take advantage of a letdown spot with the Bucs. Tampa Bay won an emotional game over Atlanta last weekend but won't have enough in the tank to keep pace with the Giants on Sunday. The home crowd won't be able to motivate the Bucs enough to keep this game close. The Giants, as mediocre as they have been, have done some things extremely well over the course of the season, and they will come to fruition this Sunday. Look for the Giants to be able to move the ball effectively against Tampa Bay's defense, which gives up over 28 points a game, good for 28th in the entire league. Eli Manning is going to have another solid outing following his clinic versus the New Orleans Saints last Sunday. The Giants are 4-1 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss and 4-1-1 ATS in their last six road games. Lay the points on the road team in this one as they win easily.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Indian Cowboy

San Francisco +

We go for four straight newsletter comp winners after Tampa Bay +7 wins outright against Atlanta. We love taking underdogs in the NFL with our Docs comp newsletter and we roll with another here and it's as ugly as it gets with San Francisco this weekend. It's a fabulous public fade for starters as more than 70% of the public is on the Falcons coming off a home loss. But the Falcons were highly overrated to begin with because they had not really faced above .500 or elite competition during their undefeated streak. It was a very friendly opening schedule for them. With San Fran making the QB change that they did and announcing it on Monday on top of that, a team always rallies when their star quarterback is out (for whatever reason) as well as rallying behind when a coach is fired recently too (USC, Miami Hurricanes or Miami Dolphins). The Niners show up this weekend. This team will rally behind Blaine for at least one game and this will be a lot closer than people realize as we like the Niners to fall short by a field goal against the Falcons. The Niners have a much better defense than given credit for, they are at home, they don't have to deal with Gurley this week and for at least one more week, the Niners will be competitive.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Jason Sharpe

Washington +14

It's always a good idea to look to bet on a below-.500 team coming off a bye, and that's what we have here with the 3-4 Redskins. Washington will have had two full weeks to prepare for this game. They got a much-needed break to rest up some guys and get healthy. Teams off a bye this season have done well as they have played nearly a touchdown better than the actual point spread. The Patriots come have some big games on tap after this one as they go into New York to play the Giants, play home against divisional rival Buffalo then go into Denver in their next three games. They may be looking past the Redskins a bit here as keep in mind their two previous contests were big divisional games as well, against the Dolphins and Jets. New England is a team who doesn't cover the bigger spreads as evidenced by their 2-8 point spread record in games they been favored by double digits in the last three years. Take Washington plus the points here.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Mike Lundin

Liverpool/ Crystal Palace Under 2½

Crystal Palace held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw home at Selhurst Park last weekend, and goals are likely to come at a premium when they visit Liverpool Sunday afternoon as well. Crystal Palace will have little incentive to push forward and will be quite happy to come out of this game with a 0-0 draw. Liverpool defeated Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge last weekend, but that was pretty much the opposite scenario as the desperate Chelsea team tried to push forward despite going a man down just before half-time. Liverpool had not scored more than one goal in any of their previous six games.

Notes
- Under is 7-4 in Liverpool's 11 Premier League games this season.
- Liverpool are off a tough game at Russian Rubin Kazan Thursday. They're likely happy to keep this a low-paced game.
- Crystal Palace have mustered only two goals over their last four games.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL Week 9 Essentials

We’re entering Week 9, where the Monday night game is so bad we’re only going to talk about it below under protest. Chicago at San Diego? This sounded like a good idea? Do better, NFL. Fortunately, Thursday’s contest is compelling and the Sunday card is one of the better ones we’ve seen this season thanks to a few blockbusters and spiced up due to the number of teams that find themselves locked in postseason contention despite mediocre records. Here’s the breakdown:

Oakland at Pittsburgh: This is an immense game as far as the AFC playoff picture is concerned. Let that soak in. The Steelers will be looking to make up for LeVeon Bell’s absence and will be leaning on DeAngelo Williams to carry the ground game. The Raiders head East looking to solidify their status as a serious postseason contender, counting on the trio of Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and Andre Holmes to continue hauling in Derek Carr’s accurate passes. Defensive back Charles Woodson has turned back the clock, but we’ll see how he fares against the Steelers’ game-breaking wide receivers.

Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets: It sounds like Ryan Fitzpatrick may have a chance to be a part of this one, but the Jets will otherwise be in Geno Smith’s hands, if they’re lucky. Given the massive hit he took late in the loss to Oakland, there’s concern he may not be able to go, leaving Todd Bowles’ team in a vulnerable position with a QB off the street, albeit someone familiar with the system. The Jaguars arrive as potentially dangerous spoilers since they come off a bye and have displayed a better offense due to an improving Blake Bortles and impressive-looking rookie RB T.J. Yeldon.

St. Louis at Minnesota: Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater sure took his time finding a rhythm against the Bears, nearly costing his team a winnable game. He found it in time to help move the Vikings to 5-2, rallying his team in the final minutes. He’s better at home than on the road, which is good simply from a point of self-preservation since an imposing Rams defense is on tap. Robert Quinn and T.J. McDonald have been playing through injuries impressively.

Miami at Buffalo: Since both teams are 3-4 and in the AFC playoff fight, this is a massive contest for both. The Dolphins come off an embarrassing loss to New England, their first under Dan Campbell. The Bills come off a bye week and may have Tyrod Taylor, Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy back. That all remains to be seen, but with road games against the Jets and Patriots coming up, Buffalo is entering a critical stretch with Rex Ryan’s honeymoon period expired. These games should be telling.

Tennessee at New Orleans: The Titans bring the AFC’s worst record into the Superdome, not to mention the NFL’s longest current losing streak, an ugly six-gamer. They will hope to have rookie Marcus Mariota back under center after a two-game absence due to an injured knee. The Saints have won three straight to even their record at 4-4 and are hoping to be a factor going forward, benefiting from a three-game run of opponents with losing records that begins here.Drew Brees is definitely over his early season-shoulder trouble, coming off a NFL record-tying seven touchdown passes in last week’s thrilling win over the Giants.

Washington at New England: It’s no secret that the ‘Skins will look to take the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands by attempting to employ a physical run game, but they can’t be encouraged by th get loud and aid an aggressive capable defense. What the Broncos also did was expose the lack of explosive playmaking ability of Green Bay’s tight ends and receivers not named Randall Cobb. The Panthers come in off a short week after also hosting on Monday night, so they’ll have to get up for another big game.

Atlanta at San Francisco: These teams are both feeling miserable about themselves. Dan Quinn’s Falcons have been their own worst enemy in losses, committinge fact the Patriots defense has completely shut down the run against the Jets and Dolphins the past two weeks, moving up to seventh in the NFL in that category. Offensively, they have Tom Brady playing the best ball of his career and have rightfully opened up as a double-digit favorite.

Green Bay at Carolina: The Packers come off their first loss and are headed into the same type of environment that just did them in. While Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium isn’t Mile High, it does ridiculous, juvenile turnovers that have rightfully cost them games. The Colin Kaepernick-led offense continues to produce little, so Blaine Gabbert will take his place and gets to face an Atlanta defense that has struggled to capitalize on opportunities to bail out their mistake-prone offense. Getting in a division leader that has to travel cross-country might be just the tonic to help turn things around if you’re the 49ers. The expectation is that WR Anquan Boldin should return from a hamstring injury, but it’s too early to tell whether RB Carlos Hyde makes it back from a foot ailment. Reggie Bush has been lost for the season due to a torn ACL.

N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay: After losing in heart-breaking fashion in their return home, Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and Reuben Randle have to rebound quickly to try and take advantage of a vulnerable Tampa Bay secondary in a second consecutive road game. Bucs QB Jameis Winston is on pace to put up potentially historic NFL rookie numbers and could prove to be a dangerous spoiler the rest of the way if he can get WR Vincent Jackson and preferred security blanket Austin Sefarian-Jenkins back for the season’s second half.

Denver at Indianapolis: The Colts come in off Monday night’s visit to Carolina and face the most feared defense in the game, not to mention a rejuvenated Peyton Manning returning to his old stomping grounds. With Andrew Luck embroiled in controversy over just how banged up he is, this could be hazardous to his health if his offensive line can’t hold up. The Broncos got C.J. Anderson’s best outing in a while against Green Bay and appear to be clicking on all cylinders as they look to remain perfect. Adding Vernon Davis is only going to make the offense more dynamic.

Philadelphia at Dallas: The Sunday night game provides tremendous drama in that it’s fair to call it a must-win game for the Cowboys and Matt Cassel comes off a terrible outing against Seattle. The Eagles defense and a healthier Dez Bryant give him an opportunity to be more successful, but Cassel is still facing an uphill battle in ending a Tony Romo-less losing streak that threatens to realistically end the season before his Week 11 return. The Eagles are hoping to be better off a bye week but are facing a Cowboys defense that looked very impressive against the Seahawks as Greg Hardy began to make an impact.

Monday, Oct. 9

Chicago at San Diego: There’s no getting around the fact these teams are both two-win teams. Jay Cutler has done his part in helping make the Bears look respectable over the last month and has a considerably healthier Alshon Jeffery to ease his burden. Chicago has played four straight games decided by three points or less, covering three of those and winning two outright. The Chargers have played five consecutive one-possession games, dropping four in a row in frustrating fashion. Philip Rivers has been prolific, but won’t be as effective if he can’t get top target Keenan Allen back from a kidney injury expected to cost him some time.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL Week 9

Raiders (4-3) @ Steelers (4-4) -- Oakland won last two games, is over .500 for first time in four years; they outscored last two opponents 51-12 in first half. Raiders won four of last five games with Pittsburgh, with all four wins by 7 or less points-they're 2-1 on road, with only loss 22-20 (-3) at Chicago. Pitt lost its last two games, scoring two TDs on 21 drives; they lost RB Bell for season, vet Williams will carry load. Steelers are 2-2 at home; they're 9-5 in last 14 games as home fave, 1-0 this year. Roethlisberger came back last week; Pitt scored one TD on 12 drives, but they're obviously better off with him in there. AFC North non-divisional favorites are 6-4 vs spread, 3-2 at home; AFC West road dogs are 4-5. Five of seven Raider games went over total; last six Steeler games stayed under.

Jaguars (2-5) @ Jets (4-3) -- Fitzpatrick tore ligaments in left (non-throwing) thumb LW, is ??able here; backup Smith was also banged-up LW- #3 QB is Baylor rookie Petty. Jets lost last two games 30-23/34-20; they're 4-0 when they have 2+ takeaways, 0-3 when they do not- they've had zero in last two games. Jaguars covered four of last five post-bye games; NFL-wide, post-bye teams are 10-4 vs spread this year. Jets won last two series games, 32-3/17-10; Jags are 3-4 in seven visits here. Jaguars are actually tied in loss column for AFC South lead- they allowed 31+ points four of last five games. AFC East non-divisional home favorites are 4-2-1 vs spread; AFC South road underdogs are 1-5. Five of last six Jax games, last three Jet games went over total.

Rams (4-3) @ Vikings (5-2) -- Minnesota won last three series games by 28-14-28 points; Rams haven't been here since '06. Two teams on rise; only game Peterson played LY was 34-6 Viking win at St Louis in opener- he had 75 YR, 21 carries. Minnesota is 6-2 as home fave under Zimmer, 3-0 this year, winning home games by 10-17-6 points. Rams are 1-2 away from home, winning at Arizona- they scored 24+ points in four wins; 10-6-10 in losses; rookie RB Gurley sparked Ram offense than ran ball for 165 ypg last four games, but they're just 16-74 on third down last six games. Four of last five Viking games went over; five of last six St Louis games stayed under. NFC North non-divisional home faves are 5-1 vs spread; NFC West dogs are 3-5, 1-3 on road.

Dolphins (3-4) @ Bills (3-4) -- Buffalo (+3) crushed Fish 41-14 in Miami in Week 3, with three INTs (+3 TOs)- they threw for 9.6 ypa, but lot has changed since; Dolphins are 2-1 since firing their HC, Bills lost three of last four but get QB Taylor back here, which has to help. Buffalo lost last three home games, giving up 32.7 ppg; they're 3-8 in last 11 tries as a home favorite. Ryan is 0-5 in his last five tries. Dolphins lost last three visits here by 5-19-19 points; they're 2-1 in true road games, with only loss 23-20 at Jax. Bills allowed 14 or less points in all three wins, an average of 33 ppg in losses. Teams coming off bye week are 11-5 vs spread; teams coming off Thursday night game are 9-5. Four of last six games for both sides went over total.

Titans (1-6) @ Saints (4-4) -- Tennessee fired its coach Tuesday; they've lost six games in row, scoring 9 ppg in four post-bye game- three of their last five losses are by three points or less. Saints won four of last five games since 0-3 start; they scored 37.7 ppg last three games. Brees threw seven TDs here LW, Saints still needed late FG to win- they allowed 20+ points in every game this season. Titans are 3-9 in last 12 games as road dogs, 1-1 this year- they won last three visits here, by 17-3-17 points. LSU alum Mettenberger is 0-8 as an NFL starter. Three of last four Titan games stayed under total; three of last four Saint games went over. NFC South non-divisional favorites are 8-4 vs spread, 5-3 at home; AFC South non-divisional road dogs are 2-5.

Redskins (3-4) @ Patriots (7-0) -- New England is a juggernaut, winning home games this year by average score of 36-17 (2-0-2 vs spread); they've scored 30+ points last six games- four of seven wins this year are by 8 or less points. Since '12, Patriots are 2-8 vs spread as a double digit favorite. Redskins are 0-3 as post-bye underdog; they've been favored in 17 of last 20 post-bye games, are 9-2 SU in last 11. NE won last two series games 52-7/34-27. NFC East non-divisional underdogs are 4-6 vs spread, 2-3 on road. Four of last six Patriot games went over total. Washington's only loss this year by more than seven was 32-21 on Thursday night in Swamp in Week 3; they're 5-12 in last 17 games as a road dog, 1-2 this year, with both losses at Giants Stadium.

Packers (6-1) @ Panthers (7-0) -- Green Bay won six of last eight games with Carolina, 5-2 in last seven visits here; average total in last five series games is 54.6. Packers were held to 140 TY (50 PY) in first loss LW, at Denver. Panthers survived soggy Monday nite game with Colts, winning in OT after blowing 23-6 lead. Carolina is 4-0 at home; they won by 4 at Seattle, in only game as a dog this year. Pack allowed 548-500 TY last two games; they held previous four foes to 334 or less TY. NFC North non-divisional favorites are 6-2 vs spread; NFC South underdogs are 5-3. Last four Packer games stayed under total; four of last five Carolina games went over. Would check status of star LB Matthews; he left late in game Sunday with an injury, not sure how serious it is.

Falcons (6-2) @ 49ers (2-6) -- Niners didn't score TD in last two games, gaining 331 yards, converting 4-28 on 3rd down; they benched QB Kaepernick for Gabbert; spread jumped from 2.5 to 7 as a result. SF is 3-0 vs spread when it scores 20+ points, 0-5 when they do not, with all five of those losses by 14+ points- they're 2-2 at home, but allowed 337 yards on ground last two weeks. Falcons have three TDs, three FGs on last eight red zone drives; they lost two of last three games after a 5-0 start. 49ers won last two series tilts, 28-24/34-24. Three of last four Atlanta games stayed under total- three of the four were decided by 3 points or in OT. NFC South non-divisional favorites are 8-4 vs spread, 3-1 on road. NFC West underdogs are 3-5, 2-2 at home.

Giants (4-4) @ Buccaneers (3-4) -- Giants scored 49 points in Superdome LW but still lost, giving up 511 passing yards, 10.2 ypa. Big Blue is 3-0 when it allows 21 or less points, 1-4 when it allows more- they won last four series games, three by 10+ points, winning four of last six visits here. Check status of Bucs' star WR Evans (leg) who was in/out of lineup at end of Atlanta game. Tampa had + turnover ratio in all three wins; they're 0-4 without one; Bucs are 26-52 on 3rd down last four games. Bucs lost two of three home games, but led at halftime in five of last six games. Last four Bucs games, three of last four Giant games went over total. NFC South teams are 13-7 vs spread in non-divisional games; NFC East teams are 5-10 in non-divisional games.

Broncos (7-0) @ Colts (3-5) -- Appears to be lot of internal issues in Indy, which fired OC Hamilton despite scoring 25.3 ppg in last four games. Now Manning comes back to town with 7-0 Broncos after they held Packers to 140 TY in easy 29-10 win Sunday. Colts lost last three games, all by 7 or less points; they're 1-3 at home, with only win in OT over 2-5 Jaguars. Denver lost last five visits here, with four of five by 12+ points- two of those in playoffs. Luck passed for 354 yards in 31-24 loss at Denver LY, Broncos' only win in last seven series games. Broncos are 4-0 on road this year, with three wins by 7 or less points; since 2012, they're 14-9 as road favorite. Three of last four Indy games went over the total. Not only is this short week for Colts; Chudzinski is new OC, a big adjustment.

Eagles (3-4) @ Cowboys (2-5) -- Dallas is 0-5 since Romo got hurt, scoring two TDs on 30 drives in last three games; they beat Eagles 20-10 (+6.5) in Philly in Week 2 (last game for Romo), outgaining Iggles 359-226, scoring TD on blocked punt. Eagles are 14-2 in last 16 post-bye games, but lost two of last three; they've won four of last five visits here, taking 24-22/33-10 decisions last two years. Philly lost three of four road games; they're 3-5 as a road favorite under Kelly, 0-2 this year. Six of seven Philly games, three of last four Dallas games stayed under total. Cowboys lost last three home tilts, with no TDs/six FGs in last two; they've had one takeaway (-6) in last five games. NFL-wide, divisional home dogs are 4-6 against the spread this season.

Bears (2-5) @ Chargers (2-6) -- Not much to choose from here; San Diego lost four games in row; their last five games were decided by 8 or less points. Bolts are 2-2 at home, with dogs covering three of four games. In last six games, Chicago allowed three special teams TDs, two more on offense; their last four games were all decided by 3 or less points. Bears won five of last six series games, with four of last five decided by 11+ points. Chicago lost four of last six visits here, with last visit in '07. San Diego has had lousy field position; 53 of its last 66 drives started 80+ yards from goal line- their defense/special teams haven't been setting up scoring chances. NFC North non-divisional dogs are 4-6 vs spread, 3-3 on road; AFC West favorites are 5-6, 4-4 at home.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Public Fades - Week 9

The separation between the upper-class and the middle-class of the NFL continues to grow as the season reaches the midway point. New England, Cincinnati, Denver, and Carolina remain unbeaten with perfect 7-0 records, while Green Bay is coming off its first loss of the season to fall to 6-1. Amazingly, 21 of 32 teams own a record of .500 or worse heading into Week 9, including nine squads that have won just two times.

In this week’s edition of Public Fades, both New England and Atlanta are listed as favorites against struggling clubs. The Patriots host the Redskins, who sit one game out of first place in the NFC East in spite of a 3-4 mark, while searching for their first road victory of the season. The 49ers made a quarterback change this week trying to jump-start their dormant offense as San Francisco hosts an Atlanta squad off two subpar performances against last-place teams.

There has to be a reason (or two) to back the Redskins and 49ers this week getting points. We’ll tell you why.

Redskins at Patriots (-14, 52)

There haven’t been many reasons to fade the defending Super Bowl champions, who are perfect through seven games. New England has covered five times with the two ATS losses coming to Pittsburgh and Indianapolis due to the Patriots allowing touchdowns in the final minute with those games in hand. The Pats manhandled the Dolphins last Thursday night, 36-7 to cash as eight-point home favorites, while scoring at least 30 points for the sixth straight game.

The Redskins are fresh off the bye week after erasing a 24-0 deficit in a dramatic 31-30 home triumph over the Buccaneers. Washington failed to cash as three-point favorites, while getting outgained on the ground, 190-50. Jay Gruden’s team looks for back-to-back wins for the first time this season, although the ‘Skins have lost twice in AFC opponents, falling to the Dolphins and Jets.

So why back the Redskins?

VegasInsider.com handicapper Joe Nelson feels there is value with Washington, “The Patriots are nearly twice as high of a favorite this week compared with where they were last week vs. the Dolphins at home even though Washington rates pretty close to Miami and those teams played a tight game in Week 1. Washington has not been this big of an underdog since facing the 2007 Patriots, who went on to go 16-0 in the regular season. Washington is just 3-4 but none of the losses have come by more than 14 points and the Redskins have had two weeks to prepare for a game that will be treated like the game of the season given New England’s stature around the league.”

Nelson believes this can be the perfect opportunity to fade New England, “For the Patriots, this is a potential flat spot after a run of four prominent games in a row with road games in Dallas and Indianapolis and then division home games with the Jets and Dolphins. While New England is never unprepared and has also had extra time after playing Thursday night last week, next on the schedule is a game with the Giants, the team that beat New England in two recent Super Bowls. New England is on a 9-23 ATS run when favored by 10 or more points going back to November of the 2007 season including going 3-7 ATS since the start of the 2012 season in that role.”

Falcons (-7, 44½) at 49ers

Atlanta began the season with a solid 5-0 start, but the Falcons have stumbled recently with losses in two of its past three games. The rival Saints tripped up the Falcons last month at the Superdome to hand Dan Quinn’s team their first loss, but Atlanta held off Tennessee, 10-7 on the road, followed by an overtime loss to Tampa Bay last week. The Falcons have failed to cover in their last four opportunities as a favorite, while trailing in the second half of all four games played away from the Georgia Dome.

The 49ers have turned into a dumpster fire since a shocking opening night win over the Vikings. San Francisco is 1-6 SU and 2-5 ATS the last seven games, capped off by a pair of division blowout losses to Seattle and St. Louis. The Niners’ offense failed to reach the end zone in both defeats, as head coach Jim Tomsula has given the hook to quarterback Colin Kaepernick and replaced him with Blaine Gabbert. The former Missouri standout put together a dreadful 5-22 record as the starting quarterback of the Jaguars from 2011-13, while making his first start for San Francisco.

So why back the 49ers?

Nelson says in spite of the quarterback change, Atlanta hasn’t exactly excelled in stopping young signal-callers, “This is a Falcons team that has lost against the spread in games against Kirk Cousins, Zach Mettenberger, and Jameis Winston in three of the last four games and Gabbert isn’t likely too far out of place in that group. The San Francisco defense has allowed just 60 points in four home games this season and it has been a formidable home slate with the Vikings, Packers, Ravens, and Seahawks as the 49ers won’t necessarily need a huge game from the offense to still compete well.”

“Atlanta’s offense has very productive yardage numbers but the offense has nine turnovers of its own in the past three games as the unit has clearly been a bit out of sync lately. After scoring over 34 points per game in the first four games, Atlanta has scored just 19 points per game in the last four games even with a schedule that has appeared less threatening in the last month. This is a third road game in four weeks for Atlanta with cross country west coast travel following an overtime game as this could be a worn out team looking ahead to next week’s bye week. Since the start of the 2013 season Atlanta is on a 6-13 S/U and 7-12 ATS run in road games while going 1-7 ATS in the last eight games as a road favorite going back to November of the 2012 season,” Nelson notes.

NFL expert Antony Dinero feels the Niners needed to move away from the former Nevada quarterback, “Gabbert takes over for Kaepernick, which certainly doesn’t sound like an upgrade on the surface but may prove beneficial simply to shake things up. The 49ers are hoping to get running back Carlos Hyde back, but have signed Pierre Thomas and Shaun Draughn as insurance since Reggie Bush and Mike Davis were lost this weekend. Getting Anquan Boldin back would aid Gabbert’s transition, but for San Francisco to be successful, its defense will have to force turnovers that Atlanta has been readily handing out of late. Back at home, the Niners have a shot at pulling off a surprise.”

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Week 9 Tip Sheet


Rams at Vikings (-2½, 39½)

Not many people who looked at the schedule prior to the season thought this game would be important for the NFC playoffs. St. Louis (4-3 straight-up, 4-3 against the spread) hasn’t allowed a touchdown in the last two games in home routs of Cleveland and San Francisco, while the Rams have jumped out to a 3-0 record in NFC West play. However, Jeff Fisher’s squad needs to improve on a 1-2 SU/ATS record on the highway, while losing six of their past seven games away from the Edward Jones Dome as an underdog.

Minnesota (5-2 SU, 6-1 ATS) overcame a shocking loss in the season opener at San Francisco to win five of its past six games, including a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS mark at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings begin a brutal stretch against teams currently above .500, facing Oakland, Green Bay, Atlanta, Seattle, and Arizona the five games following St. Louis on Sunday. Mike Zimmer’s team has cashed the ‘under’ in six of seven games, while allowing 20 points or less six times. The Vikings ripped the Rams in the 2014 season opener, 34-6 as three-point road ‘dogs, as St. Louis is making its first trip to Minneapolis since 2006.

Dolphins at Bills (-3, 44)

Buffalo (3-4 SU, 3-4 ATS) returns from the bye week following a 34-31 setback in London to Jacksonville, as the Bills go for the season sweep of the Dolphins. The Bills roughed up Miami back in Week 3 by a 41-14 count, as Buffalo jumped out to a 27-0 halftime lead and cruised from there. Tyrod Taylor threw three touchdown passes, while the Bills’ defense intercepted Ryan Tannehill three times, but Buffalo has put together a 1-3 SU/ATS record since that blowout. The Bills have won three straight home meetings with the Dolphins since 2012, while outscoring Miami, 48-10 the last two times at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Following a brief two-game winning streak since head coach Joe Philbin was fired, the Dolphins (3-4 SU, 3-4 ATS) quickly returned to Earth in a 36-7 setback at New England last Thursday night. Dan Campbell’s squad has been limited to 14 points or less in all three divisional contests, as Miami owns the worst division record in the AFC East at 0-3. The Dolphins have covered just once in the road underdog role this season, beating the Titans in Campbell’s coaching debut last month, 38-10, while Tannehill is 3-7 on the road against division foes in his career.

Packers (-2½, 46½) at Panthers

It’s too early to say the top seed in the NFC playoffs is on the line in Charlotte on Sunday, but the winner of this game will have the upper-hand from a tiebreaker standpoint. Green Bay (6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS) suffered its first loss of the season last Sunday in a 29-10 drubbing at Denver, while getting outgained by the Broncos, 500-140. Aaron Rodgers had a game to forget, throwing for just 77 yards, as the Packers amazingly didn’t turn the ball over in their first regular season loss since Week 15 of last season at Buffalo. The Packers have cashed four straight ‘unders,’ while compiling a 5-1 mark to the ‘under’ in the last six regular season road games.

Carolina (7-0 SU, 5-2 ATS) found a way to stay unbeaten in spite of blowing a 17-point fourth quarter lead in a 29-26 overtime triumph over Indianapolis. The Panthers were in control as five-point home favorites, 23-6, but Carolina’s defense allowed Indianapolis to tie the game in the final seven minutes of regulation. Graham Gano kicked two field goals in overtime to give Carolina its best start in franchise history at 7-0, but the Panthers dropped to 2-2 ATS at Bank of America Stadium. Carolina has lost three of the past four meetings with Green Bay since 2007, including a 38-17 setback at Lambeau Field last October as 6½-point underdogs.

Giants (-2½, 48) at Buccaneers

There have been several brutal road losses suffered by New York (4-4 SU, 4-3-1 ATS) this season, losing in the final seconds in Week 1 at Dallas and dropping a 52-49 decision at New Orleans last Sunday. Eli Manning threw six touchdown passes and that wasn’t even the most thrown in that game (Drew Brees had seven), while allowing 505 yards through the air by the Saints. The Giants’ defense has been outgained by at least 170 yards in each of the last three games, while giving up at least 27 points three times in the past four weeks. New York is listed as a road favorite for the first time since Week 14 last season at Tennessee, as the Giants are visiting Tampa Bay for the first time since pitching a 24-0 shutout in 2009.

The Buccaneers (3-4 SU, 4-3 ATS) turned in another impressive performance on the road, upsetting the rival Falcons in overtime, 23-20 as eight-point underdogs. Tampa Bay squandered a 24-0 lead in a loss at Washington two weeks ago, while allowing Atlanta to erase a 20-3 deficit last Sunday, but the Bucs were able to triumph in overtime to improve to 3-1 ATS on the road. Playing at Raymond James Stadium hasn’t yielded a home-field advantage for the Bucs, who are 1-2 SU/ATS at home with the lone win coming over Jacksonville. Dating back to last season, the Bucs have picked up just one home victory in the last 11 tries.

Broncos (-4½, 45) at Colts

Peyton Manning returns to his old stomping grounds for the second time since leaving Indianapolis for Denver in 2012. Manning’s Broncos (7-0 SU, 5-2 ATS) are rolling following a dominating performance of previously unbeaten Green Bay, 29-10 to cash for the second time this season as an underdog. Denver’s defense continues to carry this team, holding four teams to 13 points or less, while cashing the ‘under’ in all three home contests. The last time Manning played at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2013, the Broncos were tripped up by the Colts, 39-33 as six-point favorites, as Indianapolis handed Denver its first loss after a 6-0 start.

The Colts (3-5 SU, 3-5 ATS) are in control of the AFC South in spite of being tied with the Texans halfway through the season. Indianapolis has yet to lose inside the division, but is 0-5 against every team outside of the dreadful AFC South. Andrew Luck was intercepted three times against Carolina last Monday night, but managed to get Indianapolis its third cover in the underdog role thanks to a late rally in an overtime defeat to the Panthers. Luck and the Colts ended Denver’s season in 2014 with a 21-10 triumph at Sports Authority Field in the divisional playoffs as 9½-point 'dogs.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

TEDDY COVERS

Indianapolis

There’s one key question to answer before we begin any handicap of the Colts – Broncos matchup on Sunday. Did Andrew Luck find his missing mojo in the fourth quarter of Indy’s OT loss to Carolina on Monday Night? If he did, the Colts may be live underdogs here. If he didn’t, a Colts team that has significant personnel weaknesses on both sides of the football is primed to take another loss on Sunday.
Two weeks ago, the Colts looked lethargic and lifeless, falling behind New Orleans 27-0 at home. Indy rallied late, thanks to three Luck TD passes, but there has to be an asterisk there – on two of the three TD passes, the Saints cornerback fell down on the play. It’s surely worth noting that the same Saints defense that shut out Indy for three quarters proceeded to allow six TD passes from Eli Manning last week.
Then last week, in the rain at Carolina, Luck and the Colts offense produced a grand total of two field goals in the first three and a half quarters, while Luck was on the way to the single worst statistical performance of his NFL career. Then the rain stopped, and Luck exploded, rallying Indy with three late scores to send the game into overtime. It was certainly a positive sign – a legitimate one, unlike the late rally vs. the Saints – for a QB that ranks #32 in the NFL in passer rating while leading the league in turnovers.
Luck faces another elite defense this week, as the Broncos come to town. Denver is coming off a signature win against Green Bay, holding mighty Aaron Rodgers to a grand total of 50 net passing yards on his 25 dropbacks. The Broncos defensive line controlled the game, and their cornerbacks won every matchup with the Packers receivers. This stop unit leads the NFL in nearly every key statistical category. They’ve allowed 4.1 yards per play this year. No other defense is below 4.7; the league average is 5.5.
And the Broncos got a rare ‘A’ game from Peyton Manning last week as well. With Manning averaging a season best (by far) 11.7 yards per pass attempt, all of a sudden, the Broncos running game opened up. That certainly didn’t happen in Denver’s playoff loss to Indy last year, a game where Manning averaged just 4.2 yards per attempt, as the Broncos were held to 13 points on less than 300 total yards.
All the early week money has come on the Broncos, driving this line up to the current number of -5 (as I post this). But this is not a Grade A spot for Denver, despite the playoff revenge; coming off a signature, marquee national TV win last week. And with Rob Chudzinski taking over the playcalling duties from former offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton this week, don’t be surprised if the Colts come out with a very aggressive gameplan against Denver, chock full of stuff the Broncos haven’t seen in film review. Take the Colts.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

NFL's Biggest Betting Mismatches

Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (+2.5, 46.5)

Packers’ problems passing for first downs vs. Panthers’ pass defense

It’s one of those stats that makes you shake your head and rub your eyes when you first see it: Green Bay, with Aaron Rodgers slinging the ball, has passed for fewer first downs than 29 other NFL teams this season, moving the chains through the air just 9.6 times per game.

And it’s not like the Cheeseheads are picking up those first downs on the ground either, with just 4.7 runs for first downs per game over their last three contests. Overall, the Packers average 18.7 first downs per game – dropping to 15 per game in the last three outings. Sure, Green Bay makes up most of their yardage on big plays, but it faces a Panthers defense that has allowed an NFL-low seven passing plays of 25 or more yards.

Carolina’s defense is giving up 229 yards passing per game – seventh in the league – and has done a good job keeping receivers in front of it and making the quick tackle, allowing only 103 yards after the catch per game. That’s held opposing passers to a slim 9.3 yards per completion, which drops to 8.8 YPC at home.

St. Louis Rams at Minnesota Vikings (-2, 40)

Rams’ red-zone defense vs. Vikings’ red-zone offense

The Rams have shut the door on opponents inside their own 20-yard line this season, giving up only five red-zone touchdowns in 16 attempts heading into Week 9. St. Louis’ has forced foes to opt for the field goal (or nothing) on 68.7 percent of their possessions in the red zone, which ranks tops in the NFL (31.3%). The Bengals rank No. 2 at a distant 43.8 percent when it comes to keeping teams from six points inside the red zone.

A lot of Sunday’s billing will be the Adrian Peterson vs. Todd Gurley matchup at running back, but if Gurley is going to get the better of the one player he’s been compared to the most, it will be because of St. Louis’ stoutness inside the red zone and on the ground. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams have stuffed rushers for 36 negative runs – third most in the NFL.

Peterson headlines the Vikings scoring attack, which is fifth in rushing yards (131 YPG) but putting up only 21 points per outing. The lack of points can be blamed on a limp red-zone offense, which has found the end zone on 38 percent of its trips inside the 20-yard line – third worst. Minnesota failed on two red-zone tries in last week’s win over Chicago and is scoring six on just 22 percent of their red-zone attempts in the past three games.

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (+5, 45)

Broncos’ NFL-best defense vs. Colts’ new OC Rob Chudzinski

We looked at a similar mismatch last week when the Lions canned their offensive coordinator and fed the new guy – Jim Bob Cooter – to the wolves, losing 45-10 to the Chiefs in London. Week 9 presents a similar situation with Indianapolis axing offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and promoting associate coach Rob Chudzinski to the vacant position.

Chudzinski is looking to switch gears on offense and told the media he wants to play a faster pace, not allowing Denver’s defense to get substitutions in and switch formations as often. While that sounds like a good plan, with speed comes mistakes and with just a week to ramp up the tempo, there could be plenty of miscues from the Colts, who have already coughed up 19 takeaways – interceptions and fumbles – which sits second worst in the NFL.

On the flip side of that stat sits the Broncos stop unit. Denver’s defense is second in the NFL in takeaways with 17 heading into Week 9. This defense played perhaps its best game of the season in a showdown with Green Bay last Sunday night, limiting Rodgers to 77 yards passing while sacking the QB three times and forcing three fumbles (one for a safety) in a 29-10 home win. Indianapolis could be once again without starting center Khaled Holmes from an offensive line that has allowed 17 sacks, facing a pass rush totaling 29 QB kills on the year.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (+2.5, 44.5)

Eagles’ return team vs. Cowboys’ not-so special teams

There’s a surplus of criticism of Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and his offense in Philadelphia. But the one consistent producer for this team during Kelly’s tenure has been special teams – most notably the return game. Philadelphia is the top punt return team in the NFL, averaging 14.7 yards per return with a touchdown, and while the kickoff return game hasn’t been producing like last year, it really hasn’t had many chances.

The Eagles kick return has fielded only five kicks so far, second fewest in the NFL, taking those back for only 20.8 yards per return. That sits near the bottom of the list. However, this team can break off a big play, as it did many times in 2014 when it averaged 27.3 yards per kick return and took it to the house a NFL-best two times. That gave Philly an average starting field position of just beyond the 30-yard line – fifth best in 2014.

The Eagles have a good chance of finding that form against a Dallas special teams unit that has been just plain terrible. The Cowboys have given up a league-worst 35 yards per kickoff (with a touchdown) and 10.1 yards per punt, serving up an average starting spot just over the 27-yard line. Dallas hasn’t allowed many run backs, seven in total, with 79.41 percent of kickoffs going for touchbacks, but have been burned whenever they do. It may be best to keep the ball out of the Eagles returners’ hands whenever possible.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Packers sticking with Clements as play-caller

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Despite obvious shortcomings on offense in recent games and quarterback Aaron Rodgers' airing grievances, head coach Mike McCarthy isn't in favor of making a midseason change in the relay points of play calls.

McCarthy made it clear Wednesday that he's sticking by his offseason decision to relinquish the play-calling duties, which he handed over to associate head coach Tom Clements.

"I don't think that's a good structure as far as ...," McCarthy said at the start of a response to a question on whether he's considering taking those duties back.

"You dictate the job responsibilities," he continued. "When things may not go well in any phase, I don't think you just abandon the process and the procedure and the responsibility of everybody and everything involved."

Instead, McCarthy chalked up the previously unbeaten Packers' 29-10 loss at the Denver Broncos on Sunday night to a hard lesson learned for the team across the board.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Ground game fuels Raiders' success

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders' success this season has come when they were even moderately successful on the ground. The Raiders are 4-0 when they rush for 70 or more yards, and their most recent victory came with Latavius Murray getting 113 yards against the previous stout Jets.

Oakland had 74 yards by halftime against the Jets, making a physical statement that only enhanced the play of Derek Carr at quarterback.

"I think we definitely made a statement of what we want to be and how we want to run the ball," Murray said. "It says a lot about us and what we're capable of."

A big portion of Oakland's success on the ground has been because of blocking, and not just from a physical offensive line. The Raiders' wideouts block with enthusiasm for each other, and No. 3 receiver Seth Roberts is the top blocking receiver in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Titans WR Wright (knee) out vs. Saints

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright will not play in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints because of a sprained left knee.

Wright suffered the injury last Sunday in the 20-6 loss to the Houston Texans.

"He's walking the hallways better," interim coach Mike Mularkey said Thursday of Wright. "Living in the training room. But he's obviously out for the week."

Wright has 28 receptions for 343 yards and three touchdowns this season.